Every election brings new faces for public representation and also brings along a farewell to some of the incumbent representatives. As the undergoing Lok Sabha elections are all set towards an end, Member of Parliament from Mumbai North Gopal Shetty will conclude his parliamentary journey by a musical tribute to Lord Rama, dedicated to the members of his party and the people of his constituency.
Shetty, a two-term MP from the Mumbai North constituency, has been a strongman of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the northern suburbs of Mumbai which comprises majorly of Gujarati and other businessmen communities. In both the Lok Sabha elections contested by Shetty, the parliamentarian has beaten his opponent with a lead of over four lakh votes, garnering over 70% of the total votes.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP decided to drop Shetty and field union minister Piyush Goyal from the Mumbai North constituency as it was considered a safe seat for the party after Shetty’s two consecutive massive victories. With the results of the Lok Sabha elections on June 4, Shetty will turn into a former MP and before the end of his parliamentary journey, he has organised a musical evening and a community feast for the people of his constituency as well as his party workers.
On Saturday, Shetty will host a grand musical evening at the Saptah Ground in Kandivali West. ‘Ek Shaam Rama Ke Naam’ will feature dandiya queen Falguni Pathak singing bhajans in respect of Lord Rama, which will be followed by a community feast. The parliamentarian has put out an open invitation to the citizens of his constituency as well as his party workers.
Talking to the Free Press Journal, Shetty said, “Being a part of the kar seva for Ram Janmabhoomi, I have witnessed the demolition of Babri Masjid with my own eyes. As an MP, I have witnessed the Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of Rama Temple as well as the temple’s inauguration. Now that I am concluding my parliamentary journey, I want to end it with a tribute to lord Rama.”
Shetty was a part of the Kar Seva for the Rama Janmabhoomi movement in the 1990 and had participated in a 300 km padayatra in 1991 when the Uttar Pradesh government had restricted all modes of transportation towards Ayodhya. After the kar seva, Shetty had started his journey in politics when he was elected as a municipal corporator for three terms, followed by two terms of being elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly and two terms as Member of Parliament.
As soon as Mumbai completed polling for the Lok Sabha elections in the fifth phase on May 20, Shetty left for Ayodhya with his family to worship Lord Rama. After visiting the temples at Ayodhya and Kashi Vishwanath, Shetty even visited Delhi and handed over his official parliamentary residence to the accommodation sub-committee of the Lok Sabha and will now conclude his journey with a musical evening for the citizens of north Mumbai.
“Anything I am today is because of the people of North Mumbai who took me from gully to Delhi. They are the gods for me and therefore, along with a respect to Lord Rama, this event is also a thanksgiving to my people. A lot of people had requested me to not leave this job but I will always be on my toes to work for my people. All of this is happening with God’s will and I am sure a lot of people will attend the ceremony on Saturday,” said Shetty.
